Feelings at the End
by Yukirei-chan
Summary: In the end, he came back, just like he said he would. And at the first few moments not everyone felt the same way. [A group ficimplied pairing of Luke and Tear, semiimplied Guy x Natalia.] An exploration of feelings towards the end.


Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss and all it's other greatness. I wish I did but don't...I want to own Luke! Even just Luke and all his hotness and cuteness!

**First: I apologize for any factual thing I got wrong. I admit, I have not yet finished the game and this was all based through researching and a couple of spoilers and AMVs plus some guessing on my part. I could not resist the idea of it, I mean after years of waiting Luke finally appears-I refuse to believe it was Asch...I love them both but Luke's more my type.- **

**Second: The idea was just supposed to be about Natalia when Luke returned and Asch didn't. But It felt incomplete so...I kinda made it ALL of them. Heh. This is after all my first TotA fanfiction.  
**

**Thirdly: Hugs and Loves to sociallydriven who beta-ed this and added the conclusion. She usually betas my work, on grammatical basis I suppose. So send her love too!  
**

**Fourthly: I hope you enjoy this little one-shot! Sorry about the crappy title...I suck at that part.  
**

* * *

**FAIR**

Natalia stopped and turned around when Tear didn't go with them. Her blue orbs widened at the scene before her.

Her lips opened but she was cut off before she began when Tear went towards the person on the fields, bathed in the glorious moonlight.

It wasn't Asch. It was Luke.

She snapped her mouth closed silently as she watched the melodist.

She couldn't help but feel jealousy and spite bubbling inside her. She cursed internally as a burning sensation occurred behind her eyes.

Resentment coiled in the pit of her stomach. So many questions invaded her mind, so many questions that only fueled her jealousy and her resentment.

She watched as Tear began to cry, her frame slightly shivering as Luke stood before her.

Natalia watched with mournful eyes and questioned why a replica could have gained so many things and the original has lost so much, his life included.

She wanted to scream and spit out her anger. Why had Luke lived when Asch did not?

It was unfair. It was absolutely unfair to her and to Asch.

She disregarded the memory of her order to the redhead replica to live his life before they left him. She disregarded the fact that before she had wanted him to live, engulfed by the self-pity and heartache of the finality of actually losing Asch.

And between all the hatred and darkness inside her, a small light shone. A slight ray of something, something that made her feel overly guilty for all the thoughts she had, for all the questions that ran through her mind.

She was not supposed to feel this way. She was supposed to be happy that she did not lose someone dear to her again.

But somehow she felt torn on which feelings she should reside in.

How could she be happy knowing Asch could never come back? How could she be happy knowing that her previous dreams of her future would never come true? How could she be happy?

The Kimlascan princess felt so confused.

_It's alright Natalia…be happy. _Natalia blinked slowly, she heard him. She frantically darted her eyes trying to find the owner's voice but she failed. Where did…then she felt warmth envelop her.

_I'm not with you all the time anymore. But I'll be there to guide you and protect you when no one can, but if someone would, then let them. Let yourself be happy, I want you to._

She smiled at his words: he wanted her to be happy. No matter how hard it would be she would persist living her life.

It was not wrong that Luke had lived. It was not wrong that Tear had finally smiled. It was not wrong that she could finally be able to move on.

Natalia smiled as tears slid slowly down her cheeks. She would be happy for her friends. They deserved it. It was right that they had finally found each other.

* * *

**UNBELIEVABLE**

Blue eyes blinked.

It couldn't be, could it?

Guy wouldn't believe if for a moment. He thought it was an illusion, a trick that the moon played on his weary eyes but the second he saw Tear walk towards the redhead in the fields the notion vanished.

It was Luke.

He actually returned after all these years. After four long years Luke returned, finally.

And what a time to return, right on the night of his coming of age ceremony. Guy internally grinned at his friend's timing, briefly forgetting the shock that overwhelmed his senses a while ago.

Luke was back, it hit him full force again. Luke was back. He wasn't dead.

_Of course he isn't, you believed that didn't you._ The blonde swordsman berated himself inwardly. Of course, if he believed Luke was dead then he wouldn't be accompanying Tear to Tataroo Valley just to see if Luke would somehow appear.

Guy felt relief wash over him. He was glad that his friend was back and alive, the blonde noted that his hair grew long again and his outfit changed. Something both familiar and not.

When he thought that Natalia was crying, he sneaked a glance to make sure. And indeed the princess was holding back tears.

_Is she happy that Luke's alive? Or is she sad that Asch is actually dead?_ He thought to himself. _Maybe it's both._

He felt a pang in his heart when he thought of Natalia being sad about Asch's dead. He mentally hit himself as soon as the thought passed. Of course she would be sad. _She loved Asch._ He frowned at the thought.

What the hell was wrong with him? He should be happy that Luke was back and he should be sad to lose an ally. Well, Asch _was_ an ally. Sort of.

But he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at Natalia's expression as he tried to read her.

No doubt she would be thinking of thoughts that she would not normally be thinking, then she would be feeling guilty about them. He knew her a little too well for his feelings to be only platonic. He smiled a little forlornly.

Maybe she would forget about him if time passed.

He shook his head. Of course she would not forget of her first love. But it was okay because he would still love her even if it was one-sided.

The Kimlascan princess was actually pretty impressive on her own and he couldn't stop his feeling for her, ever since the Inista Marsha, the little feeling of admiration grew despite his fear of women and her love of Asch.

Maybe he could ask for Asch's permission when he would start courting her, or at least if she allowed him to court her.

Guy noticed tears slowly skidding her pale moonlight brushed cheeks.

_I wish you'd let me brush those tears away, let me be with you but right now I would be content with your presence_.

He forced his mind back to his other friends. Tear made her move and actually hugged Luke. He smiled, his feeling going to the relief that his friend was with them again.

* * *

**ORDER**

Anise smiled as she watched everything before her, oblivious to the emotions swirling in both pairs of blue depths beside her. She was focused on Tear and Luke.

She was quite happy that Tear had finally smiled again. It was always forced and short whenever her melodist friend smiled. This time, it was neither of the two. This time her smile came naturally accompanied by the joyful tears that slowly trickled down her face.

Her smiled turned into an innocent Cheshire grin as she remembered what she told him before they left him.

She wondered idly if she could drag him tomorrow to Daath.

* * *

**PROMISE**

Her mind was in overdrive although she appeared as calm and unfazed as she always was on the outside.

Her heart was thudding. Different emotions swirled around her.

She hopped off the large boulder she was sitting on and stood there, shock tingling her nerves for a few moments. What if it wasn't true? What if this was her heart playing tricks on her?

Tear stepped forward hesitantly, testing as if Luke would disappear if she came to close. When he stepped towards her, confidence grew in her, as well as other emotions.

Luke was really back.

This couldn't be an illusion. Illusions could never ever copy him this precisely. She noticed his hair grew back to its previous long state and his clothes where a bit different from his previous outfit.

She discarded the probability that if could have been Asch because it hurt too much to think that this was not Luke and besides what reason would Asch have to be here. If it was him, he would have headed straight for the Baticul castle, straight to Natalia.

Asch would not be cruel enough to taunt her or tease her to into hopes about Luke being alive if he wasn't. Asch would be telling her straight forward, with a no-nonsense air that Luke was dead if the person before her was Asch.

But just to make sure…

"Why … why are you here?" She asked in a breathless whispered, he heard her nonetheless.

He smiled at her. It was a smile that carried relief and happiness and a little weariness at the edges. He was tired obviously. But he was happy.

"This place has a nice view of Hod." He answered her as he looked around and then returned his gaze to here. "And also, I promised someone."

That was all she needed. She left her tears fall freely down.

This was her Luke. Her Luke was back. He was back home. He came back to her, just like he promised. And with that she stumbled towards him with any grace she possessed and threw her arms of his neck.

"I missed you…" Tear whispered to his ear as he held her by the waist supporting her when her knees wobbled and buckled.

* * *

**HOME**

He was finally back.

Finally after four years of soul searching he was finally where he felt peace. He was finally where he belonged. He was back home.

He almost couldn't contain his smile when he saw all his friends and…_her_, there starting to leave.

But she noticed him. She always did.

Everyone turned when Tear had not followed them. He noticed the shock in their eyes but he focused his attention to the brown-haired blue-eye melodist.

His friends would come later, she was always first.

He walked towards her as she did so herself, silently studying the look on her face and the different emotions passing through the sapphire orbs.

He wondered what she was thinking. He grimly wondered if she would punish him for taking four years to return to her. Although he wouldn't mind any kind of punishment as long as he was with her.

When they stopped a few stride shy of each other he gazed at her eyes, his emerald gaze peering at her sapphire ones.

Then when she opened her mouth he almost sang with elation at the sound of her voice. He missed it so much. He smiled at her question.

Why was he here?_ Because I missed you stupid…and I want to go back to you. After all, I promised._

He gaze softened as he answered her.

Apparently he had said the right thing because next thing he knew Tear had thrown herself at him. Her tears flowing freely as she hugged him tightly. He encircled her waist when he felt her buckle.

"I missed you…" she whispered, her breathe caressing his ear. He smiled and drew her in closer, his lips finding its way toward the melodist's own ear.

"I missed you too." He tightened his holds on her and murmured in her ear, "I love you." He heard her gasp at his response to her confession four years ago. Did she think he didn't hear then?

* * *

**WRONG**

He stared at them, his critical eye never missing anyone's action.

He noticed, at first, everyone's shock stares, their disbelieving nature, even Tear. But when he set eyes upon the redhead he was sure it was him.

He noticed the wavering and flickering of emotions passing in the princess' eyes. He didn't miss the longing gaze the blonde swordsman subtly gave the oblivious princess. He kept in mind to see what the small grin on Anise's face was about.

After another once over each and everyone his eyes fell on the redhead.

He was one special replica but Luke proved that he was much more than just a replica.

Luke had exceeded his expectations and a replica's limit as if he was originally a human. He had faced Lorelei and had readily sacrificed himself to fix his mistakes.

He studied the scene before him, mildly surprised when the melodist openly displayed affection. That was something to store away for future teasing. As he watched the usual knowing and unnerving smile took hold of his lips.

He had never been glad that he was wrong.

_I suppose I could make this an exception._ He thought wryly as he followed the others as they made their way through the fields over to their friend.

* * *

**CONCLUSION**

Tear ands Luke reluctantly broke off their hug, finally noticing that they weren't just the only people in the world … and that four pairs of wide eyes were staring at them.

Luke coughed and Tear giggled.

It was Guy who approached the redhead first. He patted him at the back, his smile plastered wide. Then came Anise, hopping around the couple, chanting something with the word "Daath!" in it. The third to approach was Natalia, giving both Luke and Tear a warm smile, telling them she's happy for them. Luke gave her a smile in return, feeling relieved inside.

He looked at the three. His second family. All smiling faces looking back at him. He turned his gaze back to those blue orbs, their owner wrapped contentedly around in his arm.

He truly was home.

He heard shuffling from ahead of him. He didn't forget about the "oldest" member of the family.

Jade.

Luke turned his eyes to the necromancer. The necromancer looked back with his all-knowing gaze. Luke noticed the corners of the old man's lips were tilted upwards. Luke raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

Jade Curtis was _genuinely_ smiling. Well that's a first.

And as soon as Luke saw it, the smile disappeared from Jade's lips and was replaced by another one of his impassive expressions. The man then turned around and started walking towards the entrance of the valley, speaking to everyone at his back to hurry up.

Luke and Guy looked at each other and smiled. The same as always.

And so, without another words, the whole party moved forward. They were complete again.

* * *

a/n: I hope you enjoyed it and please review...pretty please! And if you have the time read and review my other fics too! I'd love it very much! Thank you! 

-Psssst! Please review!-


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